Take My Breath Away

I once read a quote that said
"Count your life not by how many times you take a breath, but by how many times you get your breath taken away."

Hmmm, interesting right?? Well, I think it was great advice. Today was an absolutely amazing day to have my breath taken away.
First it's raining and thundering while it is still warm out (totally Hawaii weather), then i log onto facebook to find pictures my friend posted of a beautiful, clear, double rainbow.
Then I see the amazing sunset, and i realized that God could take my breath away every single day, if I would only step out of my own little circle and look around at His absolutely breathtaking creation.

So Dear Lord,

PLEASE TAKE MY BREATH AWAY...

Breathing in your beauty, J♥

A Thankful Heart....

I was washing dishes after dinner (a chore my whole family will tell you I dislike with a passion), and grumbling. "Ugh I hate doing dishes." "So many dishes..." and so on my complaints went. Then, very quietly, subtley, I heard a small voice saying, "well at least you have dishes to wash." Now I dont handle these quiet voices very well. Usually I get emotional and contrite, filled with sorrow because I was so foolish. The same thing happened tonight- minus the tears. And as I stood there washing plates, cups, and utensils, instead of grumbling I turned my heart to thankfulness. I thanked the Lord for plates, and bowls, and cups. I thanked Him for the hot water to wash the dishes, and the soap and sponge to do the job. I thanked God for the food we were able to cook in the pots and pans. And then I thanked the Lord for opening my eyes to see how truly "rich" I really am. I have so much compared to some people who have nothing. And I am so thankful for that. So as I washed dishes and prayed, my heart became lighter, and the chore went by faster. Now, I dont love doing dishes (in fact I left a couple pots to soak, to come type this), and it is still a chore that I probably will not enjoy doing. But before I start complaining, I have to remember to be thankful that I have dishes to do. And talk to God, because then the chore goes by faster.

With a thankful heart,
J♥ 

And Our Story Begins...

"Once upon a time, a long, long time ago...yesterday" Well okay, maybe not yesterday but 17 years ago, the JC Family began.

Hi, I'm Janine. I am the oldest of 5 kids and, let me see, i will probably be the writer of this blog 99.9% of the time. :) Anyways our family of 8 includes my dad and mom, myself (J) (17), joelle (Jo) (15), johnny (13), jacklyn (Jackie) (10), and jeremy (JJ) (8)  otherwise known as the JCs; and above all, the head of our household, Jesus Christ.. 


A little bit about us....


My parents have been married for almost 20 years! They were married in February of 1991. Two years later, I was born. Then Joelle, Johnny, Jacklyn followed, and finally (our family's SURPRISE! gift), Jeremy was born in 2002.

My siblings and I have been to church our whole lives. Today, both my parents, and Joelle, Johnny, and I are really involved with our church; It really is our home away from home. We love helping out in Children's Ministry, and the highschool and Jr. High.

Besides helping out at church, Joelle, Johnny, and I are homeschooled. (The 2 younger ones, well lets just say we dont have the patience to keep them at home.) This year is my SENIOR YEAR!!! and I am totally thrilled to be almost in college. Jo is  a junior, and Johnny is in J-High. It's a lot better than actual school, and i can say that because i have been in real school before. 

I think that's enough for now.... besides if i dont get off now and get to finishing some school work, well i will have a lot more to do tomorrow! And I just wanted to say Welcome! 

Until the next time...

Following Him,
J♥